Why Did Kathryn Bigelow Get Snubbed For Best Director?

Kathryn Bigelow, the director of “Zero Dark Thirty,” was robbed by the Oscars this morning. At least that’s the way many of her supporters are seeing it. But why did it happen?

Bigelow’s gritty drama about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, which features graphic depictions of torture, isn’t for everyone. But it was one of the best reviewed movies of the year (with a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes), and landed nominations for best actress (Jessica Chastain) and best picture, among others.

So why was Bigelow snubbed while even Oscar host Seth MacFarlane walked away with a nomination (for co-writing a song for the comedy “Ted”)?

“Zero Dark Thirty” certainly has its critics. Author Bret Easton Ellis (“Less Than Zero,” “American Psycho”) has been waging a twitter war against the film. “The fact that Zero Dark Thirty never acknowledges or implicates US policies that led to 9/11 is what makes the movie such a moral washout,” he tweeted recently.

After the jump, read seven theories why Bigelow was passed over at the Oscars: